15 Baby Shower Games Your Guests Will Actually Want To Play (No Diaper Sniffing!)

The start of a party can be a bit stiff, especially when guests from different circles—family, friends, coworkers—are meeting for the first time. These icebreakers are designed to be low-pressure, simple to explain, and perfect for sparking conversation and camaraderie from the moment guests arrive.

1. Who’s That Baby?

This classic game is always a hit and serves as a great conversation starter. Before the shower, ask each guest (and the parents-to-be) to email you a baby photo of themselves. Print them out, assign a number to each photo, and display them on a corkboard or wall. Guests write down their guesses for who is who. The person with the most correct answers wins a prize.

• Materials: Baby photos from guests, a display board, numbered tags, pens, and guessing sheets.
• Why it’s a hit: It’s personal, nostalgic, and prompts wonderful stories and laughter as people try to recognize the baby faces of their friends and family.

2. Parenting Mad Libs

Create a few templates of parenting advice or a funny story about a future parenting moment (e.g., ‘The First Diaper Blowout,’ ‘A Letter to Our Sleep-Deprived Selves’). Leave blanks for nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. As guests arrive, have them fill in a blank on a master list without seeing the story. Later, the host or one of the parents-to-be reads the hilarious, nonsensical stories aloud.

• Materials: Pre-written Mad Libs-style stories, pens.
• Why it’s a hit: It requires minimal effort from guests but delivers maximum comedic payoff. The resulting stories are always absurd and get everyone laughing together.

3. Two Truths and a Lie: Baby Edition

Each guest introduces themselves and shares three ‘facts’ about their own babyhood or experience with babies. Two are true, and one is a lie. For example: ‘I didn’t speak a word until I was three,’ ‘My first word was ‘ketchup’,’ ‘I was born with a full set of hair.’ The group then votes on which statement they think is the lie. It’s a fantastic way to learn surprising and funny things about each other.

• Materials: None! Just creative guests.
• Why it’s a hit: It encourages sharing and engagement on a personal level without feeling invasive. It’s a game of storytelling and friendly deception.

These activities are less about competition and more about collaboration. They provide a fun, interactive experience for guests while creating a meaningful, personalized gift for the baby and parents-to-be. It’s a beautiful way to literally ‘shower’ the family with love.

4. Onesie Decorating Station

Set up a table with plain white onesies in various sizes (newborn to 12 months), fabric markers, and iron-on stencils. Let your guests unleash their inner artists. Offer some inspiration with cute sayings or simple designs, but encourage creativity. The parents-to-be will leave with a collection of unique, custom-made outfits for their little one.

• Materials: Plain white cotton onesies, fabric markers, fabric paint, stencils, a table covering, and an iron for iron-on transfers (optional).
• Why it’s a hit: It’s a relaxed, creative outlet that allows guests to chat while they craft. Plus, every time the baby wears one of the creations, the parents will be reminded of the love and support from their friends and family.

5. Alphabet Book for Baby

Provide each guest with a blank page from a scrapbook or sturdy cardstock, along with a letter of the alphabet. Their task is to illustrate that letter. For example, ‘A is for Auntie,’ ‘B is for Brave,’ ‘C is for Cuddles.’ Guests can draw, use stickers, or write a little note. Compile the finished pages into a beautiful, one-of-a-kind ABC book for the baby.

• Materials: Blank scrapbook pages or cardstock, markers, colored pencils, stickers, and a binder or photo album to assemble the book.
• Why it’s a hit: This collaborative gift is incredibly sentimental. It becomes a cherished keepsake that the child can enjoy for years, filled with artwork from everyone who celebrated them before they even arrived.

6. Wishes for Baby & Time Capsule

Set out beautiful cards and pens and ask guests to write down their hopes, dreams, advice, and wishes for the baby. They can also write a note to the parents. Collect these in a decorative box. You can elevate this by turning it into a time capsule: ask guests to contribute a small item or a note for the baby to open on their 18th birthday. This could include a newspaper from the day of the shower, a popular song, or a personal letter.

• Materials: Note cards, pens, a keepsake box or jar.
• Why it’s a hit: It’s a quiet, reflective activity that adds a deep layer of meaning to the celebration. Reading these heartfelt messages will be an emotional and uplifting experience for the parents-to-be.

If your crowd is energetic and loves a good laugh, these more active games are the perfect fit. They are especially great for co-ed showers where a little friendly competition can liven up the party and create some truly unforgettable moments.

7. The Price is Right: Baby Edition

Purchase 10-12 common baby items, from diapers and wipes to pacifiers and gripe water. Display them for all to see. Guests must write down their best guess for the retail price of each item. The person who gets closest to the actual total cost of all the items without going over wins. All the items then go to the parents-to-be!

• Materials: A variety of baby products, pens, and paper for guests.
• Why it’s a hit: It’s both practical and surprisingly challenging. Veteran parents may have an edge, but prices change! The reactions to the actual costs of baby gear are always priceless.

8. Don’t Say ‘Baby’

As each guest arrives, give them a clothespin or a diaper pin to wear. The rule is simple: you can’t say the word ‘baby’ for the duration of the party (or until it’s time to open presents). If you hear someone else say the forbidden word, you can steal their pin. The person with the most pins at the end wins.

• Materials: Clothespins or diaper pins for each guest.
• Why it’s a hit: This game runs in the background of the entire party, creating a fun, low-level tension. It encourages creative vocabulary and leads to some very funny moments of self-correction.

9. Baby Stroller Olympics

If you have outdoor space, set up a simple obstacle course. Contestants must navigate the course while pushing a stroller with a baby doll in it. Add challenges like ‘diaper change pit stops’ (swapping one doll for another) or ‘picking up spilled groceries’ (beanbags). This can be a timed race or a team relay.

• Materials: A stroller, a baby doll, cones or markers for the course, and props for challenges.
• Why it’s a hit: It’s physical, hilarious, and a fantastic spectator sport. It’s particularly funny to watch guests who have never handled a stroller try to maneuver it with speed and grace.

10. Bobbing for Pacifiers

A silly and simple game that always gets a laugh. Fill large buckets with water and drop in a bunch of pacifiers. With their hands behind their backs, contestants have to ‘bob’ for pacifiers, trying to get one out with their teeth. It’s a wet and wild challenge that’s more difficult than it looks.

• Materials: Large buckets, water, and lots of new pacifiers (which can be washed and gifted to the parents).
• Why it’s a hit: It’s pure, goofy fun. The absurdity of adults bobbing for pacifiers is guaranteed to have everyone in stitches.

Sometimes the best party is a relaxed one. These printable games are perfect for a more low-key gathering, can be played while guests are eating and mingling, and require very little setup from the host. Just print and play!

11. Baby Emoji Pictionary

Create a sheet with a series of emojis that represent baby-related phrases, children’s books, or nursery rhymes. For example, a baby face emoji + a bottle emoji = ‘Baby Bottle.’ Guests have to decipher the emoji clues. The first to finish or the one with the most correct answers wins.

• Materials: Printed game sheets and pens.
• Why it’s a hit: It’s a modern twist on a classic game that appeals to everyone. It’s fun to see how different people interpret the emoji combinations.

12. Who Knows Mommy/Daddy Best?

Prepare a list of questions about the parent(s)-to-be. These can range from pregnancy cravings and baby name hints to questions about their own childhoods. Guests fill out their answers, and then the parent(s) reveal the correct ones. It’s a sweet way to put the spotlight on the guests of honor.

• Materials: Printed questionnaires and pens.
• Why it’s a hit: It focuses the attention back on the parents in a fun, celebratory way and often reveals surprising facts that even close friends didn’t know.

13. Nursery Rhyme Quiz

Test your guests’ knowledge of classic nursery rhymes. Create a quiz with lines from famous rhymes where a key word is missing, or ask trivia questions about the characters. For example, ‘What did the three blind mice have their tails cut off with?’ This game is often surprisingly difficult and sparks a lot of nostalgic debate.

• Materials: Printed quiz sheets and pens.
• Why it’s a hit: It taps into childhood memories and is a great equalizer—no one is a true expert! It’s fun to watch guests rack their brains to remember rhymes they haven’t thought about in years.

14. What’s On Your Phone?

This is a modern scavenger hunt that requires no setup. Create a list of items with different point values. Guests get points for things they have on their phone, such as: a photo of a baby (5 points), a contact whose name starts with ‘B’ (10 points), a food delivery app (15 points), or a text message containing the word ‘cute’ (20 points). The guest with the highest score wins.

• Materials: Printed point lists and pens.
• Why it’s a hit: Everyone has their phone with them, making it instantly accessible. The point system adds a fun competitive edge, and it’s always interesting to see what people can find.

15. Celebrity Baby Name Match

Make a list of celebrities in one column and a jumbled list of their children’s unique names in another. Guests have to draw a line to match the parent to the baby name. With so many unusual celebrity baby names out there, this game is both funny and challenging.

• Materials: Printed game sheets and pens.
• Why it’s a hit: It’s a lighthearted pop culture game that doesn’t require any knowledge about pregnancy or babies, making it accessible and entertaining for all guests.